Schools tongue-lashed for illegal political donations

EDMONTON — Alberta’s minister of advanced education is delivering a tongue-lashing to post-secondary institutions on the topic of political donations.

Greg Weadick says his department has reached out to the schools to make sure they understand the rules, and he says there’s no excuse for not knowing them.

Weadick says the law has been clear for seven years that post-secondary institutions can’t donate to political parties.

Weadick’s comments come after the Wildrose party revealed the University of Lethbridge had been donating money to the governing Progressive Conservatives though fundraising dinners even after the practice was made illegal in 2004.

The head of the university says they weren’t officially made aware of the rule changes until a year later, and it was only then they stopped the practice.

It’s an issue that continues to grow — the chief electoral officer is already investigating reports that 10 municipalities have illegally donated to the Tories.

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